4 New Healthy Snacks

If you are ready to start 2013 with a bang and finally shift those pounds that you have been desperate to get rid of for the last few New Year’s resolutions, it might be time for you to take a little helping hand from the people in the know. It’s all very good and well saying that you are going to eat less, exercise more and finally get that bikini body for this summer but without the right tips and tricks, your good intentions are going to be fruitless.

When it comes to losing weight, you need to learn how to snack properly. You can eat all the healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners that you like, exercising for hours at the gym every day if you want to, but when you give up at lunch time and let yourself have that 300-calorie candy bar, your efforts are practically going to waste. Of course, you shouldn’t tell yourself that you definitely can’t have something; eating all things in moderation is just fine, but when it comes to snacking, you should definitely be opting for the healthier options, not only as a tasty treat, but also to keep your energy levels high and your blood sugar levels stable.

One of the biggest problems we are faced with when snacking is that we often crave something delicious right before bed time and if this is the case for you, you should turn to cottage cheese. This tasty delight is packed full with protein which helps to rejuvenate body cells; something your body does while you are sleeping. It is also low in carbs and when you eat this food group before bed, you don’t burn them off as you are sleeping. It also contains just the right amount of fat to help you feel fuller quicker, so you don’t even need to go for the low fat varieties if you don’t want to!

A mid-morning snack could be something as simple as Greek yoghurt with a handful of pomegranate seeds. Not only is the yoghurt good for you – twice the protein and less than half of the carbs that “normal” yoghurts contain, but the pomegranate seeds themselves offer a great taste explosion with plenty of antioxidants to boot!

When you are seriously craving a chocolate fix, opt for organic dark chocolate varieties rather than the Mars Bars or Snickers that you see in the candy aisle. Dark chocolate is much sweeter than the milk chocolate versions which means that you will have a tendency to eat less before you get the sickly-sweet feeling, and when you consider that it contains a hefty portion of powerful antioxidants, you can quite literally have your cake and eat it too!

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Finally, we come to the powerful nut family. Pistachio nuts are very good for you if you fancy a little something to nibble on. Lots of nutrients are contained within these addictive nuts, and studies have even shown a link between these tasty treats and weight loss. Health benefits have been found in these studies too – the risks associated with cardiovascular disease have been shown to be decreased with extra portions of pistachios in your diet.